Gah, this was meant to be out earlier, but with so much IRL going with my 5 week old niece, me getting evicted by my flatmate and then all that drama..

It kinda got forgotten about.

I hope that you all enjoy this chapter as it sets up some major things for way later down the track. Again, I like feedback on how I'm doing re: the cast. :) It helps me know what I'm doing and what you guys think of it. :)

Warnings: I think that Shattered Glass Prime is a warning to himself? Implied brutality towards others, implied death. Implied on-going non-con.

Beta: Tsuya

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Burning Crystal

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Optimus inhaled deeply at the sight of the city that was before him. Behind him, his army stood. It was night - and most of the mechs would be in recharge. It was perfect. To his left was his new consort, shackled with a guard to prevent his escape. Magnus was hardly willing right now, but in time, he would be. This would see to it. This... would be his masterpiece. A city was going to burn one way or the other tonight.

He heard his guards part to allow a mech through, and he turned to look the new mech over, optics seeming to smirk. Ah, It was just the mech that he wanted to see.

"You know your orders. Bring him to me, unharmed and without a fuss. Should you fail..." He gestured to where Arcee was pacing, caged in by Ironhide. The femme was restless, eager for a mechs energon to spill, and he had no problems with tossing the flier to her should he fail in this.

"Of course my lord," The black and red said before lifting. "I won't fail, he trusts me, I promise,"

"Now, go, Skyfire."

The large flyer bowed at the words, optics flickering malicously, before he stepped ahead of the band of war-hungry mechs. With a grin, he turned rockets and boosters on before taking to the sky, making a beeline for the academy. There, Skyfire would find what he was searching for. In the dark night sky, he was almost unseen but for his thrusters, inky black and blue paint melding with the sky quite well. Starscream wouldn't know what hit him, at all...

- - -

Prime smirked darkly as he watched the other return. Optics brightened cruelly when he saw that snowy mech. Ahh... this... was going to be fun. He hardly waited for his flier to land before he was moving to take his prize from the other. He wasn't gentle either, and yanked him by the wings.

"Thank you Skyfire. "

He turned to Starscream, bending his wing. Optics widened, azure blues brightening before the seeker gave a shriek when his wing was so handled. The voice caused the energon in lines to freeze up. Betrayal was on his features as he looked to Skyfire, who was now bowing low. Starscream could see that darkness in those red optics now. So this was why his once friend had vanished. To serve the tyrant that called himself 'Optimus Prime'.

"My lord, it is my honour," Skyfire said with a relished bow.

Snowy features wrinkled before Starscream spat at the mech, ignoring Prime, "You traitor! Traitor!" the snowy mech shrieked at Skyfire who only laughed at him as he passed. This brought Starscream's attention back to Prime. In his anger, his rage, he cared not who it was he was facing. Just that he had been betrayed by one he'd trusted.

"So... do you believe that you can deny my oh gracious request that I placed so much effort into? And get away without facing my wrath?" Behind him, Primes' mechs started to fan out, eager for the coming slaughter. And It would be the mechs of Crystal City ... far too complacent in their lives. It would change.

"I won't ever join you, you sick megalomaniac!" Starscream hissed in that shrill voice of his.

"Oh?" Prime lent down and seemed to smirk at the smaller. "Then your city will burn." He straightened, and pulled the seeker against him, making him face the pretty city. It was such a sight, and he could picture it in flames already. He didn't have to look back to know that the mechs were in place now.

"Burn it. Burn it all. Let not a mech escape."

"You can't!" Magnus was pinned to the ground before he could get very far, and he twisted under the mechs. "You can't burn it! The history, the cul -" He was cut off when his face was smashed into the ground. Prime took no notice.

"No!" Starscream cried out, "You pitspawn beast!" His optics flared as he was turned about. He could hear the cry of another mech, another prisoner, like him, a witness. The snowy flyer struggled, but to no avail. There would be no escape and he could feel the tears running from the lines under his optics, streaking down his face. "N-No. . ." he whined. Crystal City was his home, his everything after he had left Vos.

To his side, he could hear Skyfire still chuckling, amused, amused of all things! It sickened Starscream who let himself go limp, Prime's grasp on him the only thing holding him up.

Magnus watched it all, horrified, frozen in place as the mechs moved in, ruthlessly cutting everything down, trapping those inside. There was a flash of pink, Arcee was on the loose again, and the ones that tried to escape the carnage, where cut down. Ironhides' weapons made short work of exits, and other mechs started the fires. Slowly, the city started to burn. He couldn't move, not believing what he saw. The mech that called himself his consort was a madmech, uncaring, unkind and yet he had a way with words. "I hate you."

"Oh? Perhaps I'll do the same to your city then, consort." Prime forced Starscream to watch, taking cruel delight in the burnings. Rage was building in Starscream's ember, burning as he shuddered, his denta biting into his lips, causing them to bleed as he was forced to watch. Never had the snowy flyer been a violent mech, but at that exact moment, he wished to kill the mech who was holding him. Sobs wracked his frame as the dark night sky was smattered with reds, oranges and yellows, when it should've been dark and peaceful. Even from this distance, he could hear screams of those who were departing. At least it would be quick for them and he rather wished he was among them. Death would not be swift for him, he knew.

"Skyfire.. Why are you not aiding, you fool?" He snarled on realizing that the flier was still at his side. Such a fool really, to test his patience.

Hearing Optimus Prime, Skyfire balked, "My lord, forgive me," he murmured before he was off, though once in the air he rather grumbled. Hadn't he done enough as he head off, circling over head, taking popshots at anything that tried to escape. After all, he had been the one to capture the prize, and weren't there enough mech to sack and kill? Oh no, he had to go dirty his hands with this.

Optimus didn't care what Skyfire thought and wanted and that mech would learn it soon enough. He kept his Prize watching. "Such a pity that you choices lead to this, Starscream." He brushed a hand over the snowy wings, in a mockery of kindness. He felt no lust for him frame wise, but his CPU... Yes. He wanted it.

"You can still save them you know... Just join me. And I'll call them off." It was hardly likely that he would.

"Don't touch me!" Starscream hissed, jerking his wings away, trying to slap the hands away with those wings. "You won't stop, you power-lusted fiend, you won't stop until all of Cybertron is ashes! You're sit on your throne of dead frames and rule over you empire of ash!" Starscream shrieked, features wrinkled up as he started to writhe against those arms.

Beside them, Magnus started to struggle again, shouting out when a few of the screams sounded close. "STOP THIS!"

Prime started to laugh then shoved the writhing mech away. Now upon his knees, Starscream turned his head, looking back at the tyrant. He pulled out his ion gun, his first, and aimed at the seeker, ignoring the pity look in his optics.

"Go ahead, run if you dare." He'd shoot him if he moved; blow one of the wings off. Maim him, yes. "You should join me, save their lives, Starscream. Or are you a coward?"

"The coward is you; you use others to fight your battles and use them as your shields! You're nothing but the sludge off of a garbage compactor," he said, making no move to run. It was pointless; he knew the logic in what it would accomplish in running. And his logic proved to be correct when Prime sneered, and shot the seeker. Starscream was out like a light, and the tyrant smirked. He'd take the seeker back Iacon with him, and possibly have some fun with me, before it was time for his death...

Yes... That was a good plan, he thought as he watched the flames dance, the screams almost stopped now. On the ground, Magnus watched in horror, blue optics wide with fear, anger and hatred. One day, he would see Optimus Prime burn for all the wrongs that he had committed. That he swore on his spark. Though for now, he'd have to deal with the tyrant, and plan carefully, gather what few Allies that he could in hopes of bringing down the mech, one orn.

Once the city was rubble, and the mechs dead, Prime smirked, and picked up his snowy prize, and headed off. Behind him, Jazz and Ricochet followed, dragging Magnus along behind them. Neither cared much, only that the show had been good.

Very good.